Samuel Group
Are you searching, looking for direction in life?
Are you faced with important decisions?
Is vocation important to you?
What is the Samuel Group?
In the biblical story of Samuel, we hear how a young boy is called by God to become a great prophet. He hears a voice in his sleep, but needs help from his mentor Eli to understand what the call means, who it comes from and how he can respond.
God calls to each of us in various ways, inviting us to enjoy lives of service, commitment, purpose and love. We need support to be able to listen to and hear the call, interpret the call and offer a response to the call.
The Samuel Group is a series of monthly reflection gatherings intended to support you in discerning God's will for your life.
This is a journey that you are already on.
For some it may be a question of general direction in life (e.g. "What do I do next?"). It may be a desire to live life and faith more deeply. For others it may already have a specific focus around an area of work, voluntary service, an approach to a relationship, or a particular call to the priesthood, diaconate or religious life.
The evening gatherings (once a month) will be experiences of praying with Scripture and reflecting with other young adults who are on a similar journey. There will also be food and opportunities to listen to people talking about the meaning of vocation in their lives.
Between monthly sessions, you will also have the opportunity to meet with a skilled spiritual director who will accompany you on your journey through the year.
In 2009/2010 there will be two Samuel Groups - Crawley and Woking.
Crawley Group
Dates of meetings:
The group will meet on Tuesdays, October to May.
13/10/09, 10/11/09, 15/12/09, 05/01/10, 02/02/10, 02/03/10, 30/03/10, 27/04/10, 09/05/10
Times of meetings: 7.00pm - 9.30pm
Venue: St Francis and St Anthony Church, Haslett Avenue West, Crawley.
Leaders: Fr Paul Turner, Caroline King and Bernadette Lally
The Samuel Group is being run in conjunction with the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton Vocations Team.
To find out more information and to express your interest in participating please contact:
Caroline King: caromking@yahoo.co.uk
Fr Paul Turner: vocations@dabnet.org
Woking Group
Dates of meetings:
The group will meet on Thursdays, October to July.
01/10/09, 05/11/09, 03/12/09, 07/01/10, 04/02/10, 04/03/10, 06/05/10, 03/06/10, 01/07/10
Times of meetings: 7.00pm - 9.30pm
Venue: St Dunstans Church, Shaftesbury Road, Woking, Surrey GU22 7DT
Leaders: Fr David Parmiter, Sr Oneng Mendoza, Cynthia Castro.
The Samuel Group is being run in conjunction with the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton Vocations Team.
To find out more information and to express your interest in participating please contact:
Sr Oneng Mendoza: onengmendoza.fmdm@yahoo.co.uk
Fr David Parmiter: davidparmiter@hotmail.com
The Samuel Group – Discernment for young adults
The Samuel Group was a chance to meet new people whilst exploring faith and getting to know God in a deeper way. The group met at Worth Abbey, every month for nine months and was led by Father Luke Jolly and Caroline King. There were 8 group members at the outset, and 6 of us were able to continue throughout. Within the meetings there was the freedom to pray and listen to God, and also the opportunity for sharing and getting to know each other.
From the start the focus upon Lectio Divina was completely applicable and easy to understand. The aim is to open up the Bible and allow God to speak to us through his Holy Spirit, by actively meditating upon His word and praying as we read through Bible passages. In each session we practised Lectio Divina and received basic teaching on subjects like God’s character, discernment, and ‘things that get in the way’, all of which were relevant and useful.
We were able to understand more about who God is and how he speaks to us. The group also brought us into contact with other individuals who were on a similar journey; we were all looking for a clearer sense of direction in our lives. I found that I really looked forward to the meetings. Ultimately the Samuel group proved to be exactly what it had been described to be – a supportive atmosphere where we could share with others and discover more about God, and I’d strongly recommend it to anyone wishing to explore their faith.
Lucie Greenland - May 2009